Good prescribing: lifetime skills

It is increasingly recognised that classical medical education concentrates too much on
transferring a growing quantity of facts, rather than on teaching the student techniques
of problem-solving. When "facts" rather than "skills" are the focus,
much is rapidly forgotten once examinations are over. Furthermore, the scientific validity
of such "knowledge" dates rapidly - estimated by some studies to have a
half-life of just five years. The teaching of pharmacology and therapeutics is no
exception. In many medical schools it is characterised by instilling knowledge about drugs
rather than providing students with lifetime prescribing skills.

Teaching medical students and doctors to prescribe rationally has a strong impact on
the quality of future health care. This is true also in situations where doctors are not
the only prescribers, as their example has a strong influence on other health workers and
on the perceived value of specific treatments within the community. For this reason, the
Action Programme on Essential Drugs is committed to the development and support of new
approaches to training, and works with partners in many parts of the world to promote
innovative training tools and strategies. This issue looks at some of the educational
programmes and approaches that will provide students with lifetime prescribing skills and
established practitioners with the means to enhance their clinical practice.